Her Odyssey

Herstory: Ella Puede Pintar/She Can Paint

Marcela Stormesan sits nestled in the corner of her small studio, El Bosque.
Whimsical figures cook, float, swim, knit or simply watch from canvases hung on wooden walls. They dance upon scenes of wind and leaves, gaze at stars and waves.Pajaritos are woven in, some occupying their own canvases, their seeing eyes peer thoughtfully.

“The pajaritos were inspired by my friend. In her later years, she realized she could continue being comfortable in the life she had, or she could seek to be truly happy.” She divorced and left her home, “what courage she had, to give up everything she knew,” Marcela reflects, “now she says it is her mission to spread love. She says that we each have a pajarito en la cabeza [a little bird in/on our head]. This is why I paint them in to many of my pieces.”

“My family moved to Coyhaique in 1977. I grew up without a TV. Back then, the winters were much more crudo, so we entertained ourselves with our hands. When I was 15, I saw a tapiza a friend had made; that was my inspiration to begin painting. I like having my own shop, because I can do whatever I feel like on each day.”

The walls not only of her shop, but also of the entire town, are a testament to this. Any person who visits this town must swing through her studio. As we sat there, drinking cappuccinos made from their fancy new machine, two officials from the municipality stopped by to discuss permits. They each walk out with one of her pieces tucked under their arms.

In any given establishment in town, there are paintings, mobiles, bags, calendars, conservation posters, poetry books, hats, dolls – all of her making. “I imagine the pioneer women making dolls for their children. They did not have much, so I imagine they made their children’s toys,” she smiles at the coven of handmade dolls which sit in the middle of her shop. Each doll’s face is distinct and hand painted, their bodies home-stitched. Each is assigned a name of one of the original pioneer women of the town.

“I was not well in Coyhaique; I was depressed,” her countenance darkens and she pauses. “I had a big house full of a lot of things. I worked all day to pay for these things around me and instead of making me feel better, they were a tether. Eight years ago, I decided I would never again pay rent. Three friends who live in Villa O’Higgins invited me to come down here. They said all I needed to do was paint. They protected me. Jorge owned El Mosco then, and he let me stay in one of the rooms there. As I painted more, I began to feel more complete.”

Within a month, at the age of 35, she met Rodrigo. “When I met him I realized I had been painting him for 20 years. It was as if he had stepped out of my paintings.” ,”El Profe,” the townspeople call him. The man is heartfelt and witty. He sits and chats and teases. Wearing many hats: music teacher, re-purposed material mural artist, director of the local radio, glacier protector, and full time father to their spirited son, Leon.

“Rodrigo makes beds and cleans the bathroom. One time, one of my aunts came to visit, and she saw him cleaning house, she was horrified. Later she told me that I need to take better care of my man, or he will get bored and leave me. She said that I needed to bear him another son, or he will go looking elsewhere. I told her he’d have to, because I’m not having any more children!” Marcela throws her head back. Her laugh bubbles from the soul and chortles in her throat.

Their life is more simple now but ever full. The door is never locked and frequently shadowed by all number of people. She and Rodrigo dream of one day growing the business into a coffee shop by day and lounge in the evening. “If people can sit and drink a coffee, they can be with the art and it has a chance to speak to them.”
They are clearly people who love having others around, so it would be more an extension of their living room (where I currently sit).
“Then in the evenings, we can have music,” Rodrigo adds, “I can play my saxophone.”

Marcela’s open heart and hospitality are a manifestation of the inspiration in the forest of this area. “This is why I am right here. When at first we looked at this spot, people said that no, this gets the least sun in the winter. I chose it anyway, because it looks out on the park, so I will never be surrounded by houses. I am surrounded by forest. I love the forest. La naturaleza te aturbe,”she looks out the window of their home at the lush trees.
Rodrigo rounds out the thought, “it is a constant invitation to be inspired.”